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Troy (2004) Wiki
Introduction In 2004, the movie TroyTroy. Dir. Wolfgang Peterson. By Homer. Screenplay by David Benioff. Perf. Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, and Eric Bana. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2004. DVD. starring Brad Pitt was released in theaters. The plot revolves around events from the classic epic poem The Iliad by Homer. The movie Troy as well as the opinions of its’ audience coincide with two themes of electronic literature. The first theme is Remediation and refashioning. The movie Troy can be analyzed as a modern remediation and refashioning of the The Iliad. The second theme, in discussing the differences in remediated texts such as The Iliad and Troy are the opportunities created by Internet tools. The historical and plot differences between the two texts has allowed for controversy in online user interaction created by internet tools such as blogs, Wikis, and Web 2.0. Many scholars and authors explain these themes of electronic literature in their scholarly essays, articles, and other publications. Supporting information will be pulled from references and resources ranging from personal websites, motion picture directories, message boards, and blogs. Explanations for the themes of electronic literature will be drawn from academic publications. Personal websites, message boards, and blogs hold discussions and opinions by individual users over the historical accuracy of the movie Troy. Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin will explain remediation and give evidence supporting the claim that the movie Troy is a remediation of The Iliad, in their book Remediation: Understanding New MediaBolter, J. David, and Richard A. Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1999. Print.. Henry Jenkins will explain and give evidence to support claims made about knowledge communities and interpretive disputes, in his book Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media CollideJenkins, Henry. "Spoiling Surviver: The Anatomy of Knowledge Community."Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York UP, 2008. 25+. Print.. IMBD’sIMBD: Internet Movie Database. N.p., 14 May 2004. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. Troy “page” will provide general descriptions and references of the movie as well as reviews and opinions from individual users who are members of the motion picture database.These are only few examples of sources and references supporting claims about themes of electric literature as well as statements about knowledge communities, interpretive disputes, and refashioning’ s. Troy, the most recent motion picture revolves around the epic poem The Iliad by Homer. Troy maps out both sides of the battle between the Trojans and Greeks, while focusing on the struggles and glory of Achilles the “greatest warrior of all time”. Troy is the Hollywood remediation of the classic epic poem The Iliad. Through the remediation of the text parts of the original text changed, for example there is more of a focus on the emotional journey for the characters. These changed parts or refashioning resulted in controversy and interpretive dispute regarding historical accuracy amongst knowledge based communities. The knowledge-based communities are present on the Internet and support the theme of opportunities being created by Internet tools such as Wikis and Web 2.0. The opportunities consist of knowledge communities, interpretive disputes, haters, and all other aspects of online user interaction. Troy, a text subject to themes of electronic literature as well as a remediation of the epic poem The Iliad, has caused controversy about the movie’s historical accuracy present in interpretive disputes among online communities. Knowledge Communities Knowledge Communities are present where ever individuals seek collective intelligence. Recently, this phenomenon has taken place through the online world and has created knowledge based opportunities due to internet tools such as blogs, Wikis, Web 2.0, etc. Henry Jenkins underlines the importance of collective intelligence in order for a knowledge community to be present. Jenkins makes this statement when he says, “Collective intelligence refers to this ability of virtual communities to leverage the combines expertise of their members. What we cannot know or do on our own, we may now be able to do collectively.”Jenkins, Henry. "Spoiling Surviver: The Anatomy of Knowledge Community."Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York UP, 2008. 25+. Print. Jenkins is inspired by another scholar Pierre Levy, who he quotes through his text, “Spoiling Survivor: The anatomy of a Knowledge Community”. Levy believes, “No one knows everything, everyone knows something, all knowledge resides in humanity.”Jenkins, Henry. "Spoiling Surviver: The Anatomy of Knowledge Community."Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York UP, 2008. 25+. Print. Troy through its remediation from The Iliad has raised conflict over historical inaccuracies, which has created a void for knowledge based communities to fill. Troy’s Knowledge based communities are in the form of blogs, forums, and reviews on film databases. One knowledge based community that revolves around the historical inaccuracies of the film Troy is on the website “Total War Center”“TotalWarCenter.net Forums.” http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=221470. On “Total War Center” there is a section under the forum page called “Discussion and Debates”v, and then there is another sub-section called “Vestigia Vetustatis: A place to discuss history”“TotalWarCenter.net Forums.” http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=221470. In the section of “Vestigia Vetustatis” is the forum of “Troy-historical inaccuracies”. Here, questions relating to historical inaccuracies are asked. Another knowledge based community takes the form of a blog and is called "The Bloodless Coup"“The Bloodless Coup: Movie Review: Troy.” http://www.bloodlesscoup.com/blog/000957.html. "The Bloodless Coup" has a page called "Movie Review: Troy" where one individual who is very outspoken and relentless describes his reaction to the film. Along with the his review and reaction to the film there is a comment section where members of the blog can give feedback on the review. These questions and discussions range from character relationships to production mistakes like a plane in the background of a scene. Online Internet blog users post in forums and blogs to gain more knowledge or to state their opinions. A lot of the time there is reason behind these questions and opinions. For example in the Troy forum on the blog “Total War Center”, one user states that, “I want to rewatch this film with a more critical approach, that’s why I’m asking this."“TotalWarCenter.net Forums.” http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=221470 On the blog "The Bloodless Coup" the author begins his review with an opinionated statement, "In case anyone is unclear on this, this movie sucked. I have not read the Iliad, so I won't be able to comment on how accurate the overall story is to the written word (given how crappy everything else was, I'm guessing they screwed this up, too)."“The Bloodless Coup: Movie Review: Troy.” http://www.bloodlesscoup.com/blog/000957.html Other responses throughout the forum can take the form of clarification of a historical incident, questions on historical accuracy in a specific scene, or responses to previous posts. One example of a response is when one user made a post saying, “since it’s very hard to distinguish what many have been truly historical about the Trojan War, as depicted in the Iliad, from what was fantasy. That having been said, here are a few major things I can think of right off the top of my head: 1. Achilles death—it’s supposed to occur prior to the Trojan Horse incident.”“TotalWarCenter.net Forums.” http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=221470 This is just one example of a historical inaccuracy that the user commented on. The user interaction present on the forum of “Total War Center” supports Levy’s and Jenkins idea of knowledge base communities specifically the idea of, “people harness their individual expertise toward shared goals and objectives.”Jenkins, Henry. "Spoiling Surviver: The Anatomy of Knowledge Community."Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York UP, 2008. 25+. Print. Interpretive Disputes Disputes over knowledge is not only present in the online community, but wherever there is information being shared. Jenkins describes interpretive disputes as, “a contest between the fans and the producers, one group trying to get their hands on the knowledge the other is trying to protect it.”Jenkins, Henry. "Spoiling Surviver: The Anatomy of Knowledge Community."Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York UP, 2008. 25+. Print. Interpretive disputes occur in online user interaction on a number of different instances. These instances can occur due to false information stated or conflicting opinions. False information and conflicting opinions are usually the two instances that start disputes in forums and blogs about Troy’s historical accuracy. Opinions are most often stated in the Troy forum of “Total War Center” and the online film database IMDb. The forum on “Total War Center” usually shows opinionated knowledge through user interaction and responses. Opinions on IMDb are usually general ideas and reactions that users have as a response to watching the film. An example of an opinion on the forum of “Total War Center” is when one user posted in the discussion, “I think you should watch the movie for entertainment…not for ‘historical’ purposes.”“TotalWarCenter.net Forums.” http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=221470 An example of an opinion on the online film database IMDb is a post from a user titled “So it’s not(!) the illiad…” IMBD: Internet Movie Database. N.p., 14 May 2004. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. .. In this post the user comments how people who know history might be disappointed. The user’s main point and opinion is underlined when he/she says, “Lovers of Homer and Greek mythology may be disappointed but keep in mind this film is about the Trojan War, not the Iliad. This war is epic in scale and isn’t about poetry.” IMBD: Internet Movie Database. N.p., 14 May 2004. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. . There are examples of opinion based interpretive disputes on the blog, "Bloodless Coup". One user comments on the negative attitude of the authors review by saying, "I think you're all full of crap. This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Pitt, Bana, Bloom and the women who played their partners were outstanding. The movie is NOT BORING. Your reviews are outrageously BORING. What was wrong with this movie? Not enough ass and sex for all of you?! It is a very passionate, enthralling, and exciting movie."“The Bloodless Coup: Movie Review: Troy.” http://www.bloodlesscoup.com/blog/000957.html Other instances of interpretive disputes among knowledge communities occur due to false information in a user’s post. False information in a user’s posting as being the reason for interpretive dispute is most easily seen in forums and blogs that allow for user interaction. Interpretive disputes are harder to find on databases that allow for reviews like IMDb. One interpretive dispute is seen on the forum “Total War Center”. This happens when one user discusses how poorly the armor for the soldiers was depicted in the film. The user states, “I think Achilles and others used Corinthian armour or else similar to the hoplites of Hellenic Greece. But they wore bronze armour during Helladic Greece. Not that armour would matter to Achilles, because he swam in the Styx River, so all but his heels were invincible.” “TotalWarCenter.net Forums.” http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=221470 Another user responds to the initial post about armor making an argument for entertainment being the base of Achilles armor. His/hers main point is stated when he/she posted, “Achilles looks much cooler in this costume then he would if he was wearing that ridiculously cumbersome bronze armor.” “TotalWarCenter.net Forums.” http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=221470This is an example of interpretive dispute involving both opinions and facts. The idea of interpretive disputes caused by false information is supported by Jenkins statement, “As participants struggle over the nature of the truth, things can get pretty nasty.” Jenkins, Henry. "Spoiling Surviver: The Anatomy of Knowledge Community."Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York UP, 2008. 25+. Print. http://www.solarnavigator.net/images/troy_achilles_brad_pitt.jpg Remediation and Refashioning The motion picture Troy can be seen as a refashioning and remediation of the classic epic poem The Iliad. According to David Bolter and Richard Grusin when the medium of a text is remediated or refashioned, “It is that which appropriates the techniques, forms, and social significance of other media and attempts to rival or refashion them in the name of the real.” Bolter, J. David, and Richard A. Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1999. Print. Troy, a perfect example of a text remediated through its precursor, The Iliad. There is evidence supporting this statement in the opinions and facts among online film databases and online forums and blogs. IMBd is great example of an online database that has evidence proving that Troy is a remediation and refashioning of Homer’s The Iliad. One the front page of IMDb, there is a list of directors, writers, and stars. In the section of the writers it lists both Homer and David Benioff. David Benioff wrote the screenplay, but Homer being still listed shows that a lot of the screenplay was based off of Homer’s epic poem The Iliad. The relationship here between the two authors is evidence to Bolter and Grusin's description of when the medium of a text is remediated and/or refashioned. Benioff "attempts to rival or refashion"Bolter, J. David, and Richard A. Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1999. Print.Homer's Iliad in the form of modern Hollywood production. Forums and blogs cooperate with online film databases to show that troy is a remediation of The Iliad through user interaction and opinion based discussion. IMBD: Internet Movie Database. N.p., 14 May 2004. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. . The forum “Total War Center” and the blog "Bloodless Coup" show user interaction and user opinions that support the statement of Troy being a remediation and refashioning of The Iliad. One user on the "Total War Center" forum believes that although Troy is a remediation of The Iliad, it is poor in historical accuracy. His/hers opinion becomes clear when the user states, “The movie butchers the Iliad so that it can be a 2.5 hour movie. From memory the only movie scenes that felt somewhat close to Homer’s Iliad are the dual Achilles vs Hector and Priam’s actions. Yet again, these scenes are still differentiated from Homer’s Iliad…” “TotalWarCenter.net Forums.” http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=221470 Although this user believes the director and screenwriter did a terrible job of remediating and refashioning The Iliad, the user can still see the intention of remediation. Another example of a user response and interaction that indicates a remediation and refashioning of The Iliad, is evident in the forum "Bloodless Coup". Here, a user underlines the need for the audience to understand the general story is a remediation of the Iliad and not an exact parallel. The user's point is made when he states, "...the story is not crap it is an all time class. and for the divineness of achilles...if you ever read the book well he is part god that is why he is a known fighter. and the movie doesn't need to show people that he is one because it is kind of common sense if you ever know your greek mythology." “The Bloodless Coup: Movie Review: Troy.” http://www.bloodlesscoup.com/blog/000957.html References Category:Browse